Author Archives: Pesach Benson

Today’s Top Stories 1. Following two years of stalemate, Lebanon’s parliament elected Gen. Michel Aoun as president. Aoun, an 81-year-old Maronite Christian, aligned his Free Patriotic Party with Hezbollah back in 2006, which is why analysts say his victory is good news for Hezbollah and Iran (or maybe not that much). Lebanon has been without a…

Today’s Top Stories 1. After outing himself as the Israeli journalist who sexually harassed Danielle Berrin, veteran journalist Ari Shavit resigned from Haaretz and from Channel 10 where he offered commentary and analysis. Meanwhile, a second woman is accusing Shavit of similar harassment. Last week, Berrin, a Jewish American journalist created a stir by describing…

UPDATE The Evening Standard responded to HR reader complaints by revising the wording of its “Israel Occupation Forces” reference. The term’s not in the reporter’s voice anymore, but A) highlighting the term in the first place and B) not identifying the name of the Friends of Palestine Society spokesman who said it is still poor…

Today’s Top Stories 1. Two Palestinian boys — both eight-years-old — were caught with knives outside Migdal Oz, a settlement just south of Jerusalem. The kids told police they were sent to carry out a terror attack. Times of Israel coverage. 2. While UNESCO thumbed its nose at Jewish ties to Jerusalem, Israel came up…

Today’s Top Stories 1. Once again, the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization passed a resolution ignoring Jewish and Christian links to Jerusalem. Today’s resolution passed without the majority of UNESCO’s 21 board members. The Jerusalem Post explains: Instead, Tanzania and Croatia had asked for a secret ballot. When the votes were counted, only 10…

Today’s Top Stories 1. The UN’s Commissioner on Human Rights, Prince Zeid Ra’ad Zeid Al-Hussein of Jordan, is demanding a blacklist of Israeli and international companies doing business in the West Bank, Golan, and eastern Jerusalem to facilitate a boycott. Ties which can qualify a business for the Black List include those with any branches in…

Part seven of an eight-part series explaining The 8 Categories of Media Bias. Violation #7 Distortion of Facts Getting the facts wrong. Thanks to today’s technology, anyone from a professional journalist to an amateur passerby with a smart phone can instantly post breaking news online. But in the rush to be first, fact-checking often gets…

Today’s Top Stories 1. Two Israelis were killed and at least six injured in a Palestinian drive-by shooting at a light rail station in Jerusalem’s Ammunition Hill neighborhood. Police Sgt.-Maj. Yosef Kirma, a 29 year-old member of a special patrol unit, and Levana Melihi, a Jerusalem resident in her 60s, were killed. The terrorist was was killed while firing on…

Today’s Top Stories 1. Planned Hezbollah terror attack in Haifa thwarted. The plot was foiled after the main defendant, Diab Kahamuz, forgot where he had hidden the explosives, which were later discovered. 2. In diplomatic speak, there are various words one can use to criticize other countries. In unusually harsh language, the US State Dept. “strongly condemned”…

Today’s Top Stories 1. A Palestinian rocket hit Sderot this morning. Nobody was injured, but two Israelis were treated for shock. The IDF fired tank shells at Hamas positions in response. Shortly before this roundup was published, Palestinian media reported Israeli air strikes. Times of Israel coverage. The Islamic State-affiliated Ahfad al-Sahaba-Aknaf Bayt al-Maqdis terrorist…